SM
Spain vs. Switzerland: 12 hrs 56 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Amateur James Cahill stuns Ronnie O'Sullivan in one of snooker's biggest shocks

:Headline: Result: Amateur James Cahill stuns Ronnie O'Sullivan in one of snooker's biggest shocks: ID:357077: from db_amp
The 23-year-old won 10-8 in Sheffield.

World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan crashed out of the World Championship in the first round after suffering a stunning defeat to amateur James Cahill.

In arguably the biggest shock in the tournament's history, Cahill held his nerve to beat five-time champion O'Sullivan 10-8 at the Crucible.

O'Sullivan was a prohibitive favourite before the match after a season which saw him win five titles and compile his 1,000th career century on his way to victory in the Tour Championship.

But after recovering from 8-5 down to get back on level terms with the aid of breaks of 104 and 89, O'Sullivan missed a great chance to snatch the 17th frame and Cahill took advantage to move 9-8 in front.

O'Sullivan looked on course to set up a final-frame decider only to inadvertently pot a red when breaking the pack open from the blue, leaving Cahill to produce a nerveless break of 53.

The 23-year-old from Blackpool will face Scotland's Stephen Maguire in the second round.

Cahill celebrates after beating O'Sullivan 10-8 (Nigel French/PA)

A delighted Cahill told the BBC: "I believe I can beat anyone on the day."

Asked how he managed to hold his nerve to pot the final few balls to clinch victory over O'Sullivan, he replied: "I don't really know. I thought I was going to fall over at one point.

"I thought I'd be nervous when I went out there today but I wasn't. I was a bit tense in parts but I think I have shown quite a bit of bottle.

"It was nice to qualify and it was nice to beat Ronnie."

O'Sullivan reacts after missing a pot (Nigel French/PA)

O'Sullivan admitted he was feeling under the weather as he bowed out in the first round for the first time since 2003.

"My limbs are feeling very heavy. I have no energy," he said. "You come here and try to do your best but if you're physically not 100 per cent it's just one of those things.

"I tried to hang in there and get through this match and have a few days off before my next match.

"There are two ways of looking at it. One is, he has come here and played brilliantly. But I also left him some easy chances."

amp_article__357077 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-04-23 12:17:52:
html db last update - 2019-04-23 12:17:52 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .